The Eldars

29

"I will have my people come, they will be here by tomorrow night. They will wish to stay in their homes, but will meet with you the day after at your inn." Teondae's voice brings Mant back and stops his thinking about what Montani has planned.

The smile on her face means something and he just can't figure out what exactly.

"Perfect, Kallen we will meet you back here the day after tomorrow with the promised help. I don't believe housing will be necessary, but food might need to be taken into account.

"Speaking of which, you should move all food stores down to the cellars and make sure the mice stay away. Food stores are much harder to destroy if they aren't easily found. You should also start on the defenses for the city, although the vacar are likely to take lead on that. Do what they tell you, that's what they will be coming for. If you aren't going to be willing to listen to them then there is no real reason for them coming."

"Of course Katiri, I mean Montani. Some of the other villages told us that they have started evacuations and some will be nearing us tomorrow."

"Good. I can't abide stupidity. Good luck Kallen. I most likely won't be here when you meet up with Teondae in two days time."

"Luck to you too in all your endeavors." Kallen smiles at the girl even as she melts into the shadows and is lost to his view.

"What are you planning?" Mant asks once they are out of ear shot of the innkeeper.

Montani smiles, "Not anything to hurt them. Kallen was good to me while my family lived here. He made this place bearable. The people aren't bad, but they might just need to learn a few lessons before they fully accept the help of the vacar. I'm just going to help that along, with your help of course."

"And what of me?" Teondae's soft voice asks to her side, just one more shadow among the shadows of the forest.

"Perhaps, I have yet to decide just how I'm going to play this game. But in the end it will be helping all the vacar."

"I have no doubt of that, Montani. The  chain I gave you wouldn't have accepted you if you weren't our friend."

"Teondae, when this is all over, the vacar will be taking their rightful places among the races. And you will be receiving apologies from the Eldar as well." Montani says with a determined look in here eyes. "That is something that I can guarantee as long as I am in charge of the Eldar.

"Now why don't you tell me the real reason the forbidden forest has that name?" Montani demands after entering the city of Arbolan.

"It is a long tale and you are expected to attend to the royals." Teondae hedges and tries to hide.

"Nice try Teondae but the royals will be expecting us all. The elves love a good story, no matter if it's happy or sad. I think they like the tragic ones the best of all." Montani says and grabs the vacar by his cloak and drags him to the castle with her and Mant.

"The story is mostly known already, as you've figured out. There is no need to tell it..."

"There is every need. I figured it out, but I know the elves haven't. They need to know and they need to know why." Montani is relentless in this. Teondae caves even as they come to the doors to the castle.

The guards open the doors and the trio are ushered inside and guided to the royals. They aren't taken to the war room or audience room as they had expected. Montani smiles, they are taken to the study of the king. At least they will be comfortable while Teondae tells his story.

"You are back far earlier than we had expected. Have you eaten?" The queen says rising from the couch before the fireplace.

"No, we haven't and would love anything you might have prepared. Then Teondae has a story that he wants to tell us before we get down to business." The queen looks startled at that but sends for food and for Leear as well.

They eat as they talk about trivial things, but once they are finished the King has the remains of the meal removed and they make themselves comfortable before the fire.

Montani motions for Teondae to take center stage, or at least stand in front of them with his back to the fire. The queen pulls out a footstool for him to sit on and he begins his story.

"Before the great war, before the races split from the Eldar the Eldar and Vacar lived in harmony. Times changed and as talents grew in the various crafts so too did jealousies. I don't know who was more jealous, the Vacar of the Eldar or the Eldar of the Vacar. But for all intents and purposes it doesn't matter. The jealousy destroyed the greatest magics, because only working together were they able to create the true masterpieces.

"The jealousies brought about a great deal of pain. The two people's had intermarried and now the husbands and wives, daughters and sons, had to choose to which people they would remain with and which they would despise. 

"It left my people hurt and angry, it left the Eldar to destroy any record of us.

"In time there were some among my people, the best of us, that decided that they are above the newer races. They particularly despised the weak humans." Teondae looks down and takes a few moments to compose himself.

"At first we didn't know, had no way of knowing. They were our favored children, our beloved heroes as it were. They knew how to hide what they were doing and did so because they knew that we would stop them.

"It wasn't until much later that we heard about the horrifying deaths that were happening to the humans. The darling children of our people no longer even tried to hide what they did. They thought that they would be lauded just as they had always done and been. It came as a shock to them that they were instead named outlaw and anathema. They became hunted, but evenso, they never stopped their atrocities against the humans. Indeed it seems they increased as they blamed the humans for their fall from grace. 

"They could never understand that they engineered their own downfall, but even worse, they didn't understand that they destroyed their own people.

"The humans came against us, hunted us, we had no choice we left."

"You could have fought them," Leear says caught up in the story.

Teondae smiles sadly and shakes his head, "No, they had been damaged greatly by the rebels. My brother was the leader. My parents died from the shame he brought on them and the Vacar people. My brother went insane with grief, but he never accepted his responsibility.

"We hunted the rebels even as we prepared to leave. I myself killed my brother as he was about to kill a human family. They were so traumatized they very likely never fully recovered. 

"The elders of my people led us in our exile. Leaving our homes cost us dearly. Some of the oldest didn't last long.

"The forbidden forest, isn't really a forest, it is the land of the Vacar and is hidden by our magic awaiting for our return. And yes, the magic remains strong even after all this time. The magic imbued in the illusions is augmented by nature itself.

"The dead left unshriven wander the land warning others away. The evil ones are unable to tolerate the feel of the forest for long. The land itself takes action against them. If you are of good intent, then you are allowed to pass through, but none but a guest will see the true splendor of the forbidden forest, our homes." Teondae's tone is reverent and his voice softens even as he finishes his story.

The silence is absolute as he finishes his story.

Leear manages to finally choke out, "The forbidden forest is your homes?"

Teondae gives a short nod for his answer.

"Then when my father nearly died there," Mant says nearly silent as he says his thoughts out loud.

"Had Montani not saved him then he would be caught in the spell and used to warn others away. Had he not in turn saved Montani, then that would have been her fate as well."